That Didn't take Long

[Deep C]

One of the boats in my area that night was definately long... The others appeared to be buoy boys. I know there were new guys doing the buoy thing for the first time because other ones were "coaching them where to set so they wouldn't get in each others way. Some detailed info on techniques aalso were being parted with.
Heres a bit of theory...I have seen them do a little sandbagging in the past. Various fisheries. First saw it with pair trawllers in the canyons catyching like four yellowfins for a long drag. When observers are around they set where there were very few fish and catch very little. "See we're not impacting much of anything". That might be why this one set in an area that really didn't show much promise.
The buoy boys might have seen him and decided to set near him thinking that he was "in the know". I do know that there were buoy boats though up and down the line thicker than I can ever remember before. Had no idea there were that many permits.
I'm bugged cause I'm hearing chatter. Just from regular guys on the dock or in the shops.. "If I catch... Where can I get rid of?" If they ask me I tell em as far as I know, they can't sell... Its almost like some kind of gold rush fever with all the regular people thinking for some reason that its now open season to go kill and sell. Hell, half of the people have asked me don't even know you need a salt water products license to sell anything in Florida.

How many PLLs are there? I don't know for sure. What I do know is the original petition a few years ago was for 65 boats. That got shot in the scuppers year after year. This years petition was for 13 vessels... I didn't read the particulars of NMFS cave in but remember seeing some ungodly number of sets being permitted...
Its irritating also to see not a single NMFS insopector anywhere here. Our Fish and Game have stopped me comming in before. They've seen those 48-50" barely legals and never put a tape on em. Instead they want to check for kingfish or snook I could be hiding in my bilge...

[waterman482]

There's not 13 and there's not an ungodly amount of sets being made! This is a very closely monitored comm fishery and alot may not agree with but at least they report their catch whereas something seriously needs to be done for both Recreational and buoy gear swordfishermen to report their catch or we will never know how much is being taken,could someone who fishes consistently down there tell me how many boats are swordfishing on an average night plus the buoy guys plus the newly found daytime deep droppers! i mean not to start a big battle here but it seems to me that the swords have alot of pressure without the longliners down there!

[Deep C]

289 sets 500 hooks a throw...
There were six buoy, one pll and two recs off here on a rare calm night the other night. Off the Pompanop lauderddale another 5 buoy boats and six recs. Miami had eight recs and not sure how many coms. A very busy night.

16 recs x 3 lines = 48 hooks
11 buoy boats at about 20 hooks per = 220 hooks
1 PLL= 500 hooks
Maybe 2???
So who's puttin on the pressure?
Most nights recs aren't nearly that number. People work during the week and calm nights are very few and far between. I've only been able to get out with a 31' three times this season and fishing is my business.

I know of only five boats that day fished off the entire miami -palm beach area this week and two fish were caught a 56" and a real nice 400 class slob...

[Glenn W]

Paul, I don't understand what you are observing with these long liners.
First, the area opened only permits Two (2) vessels. There will be a maximum of 145 sets in the closed area over the next twelve-months (500 hooks each). The research area is from North of Ft. Pierce to about Cape Fear.
Most importantly, the research area is a pretty good ways North of you (North of Fort Pierce), and as I understand the Federal Regulations, the area near you remains closed to PLLs until well offshore. Is it your contention that there are illegeal long liners in the closed area and Law enforecement is not aware of this?

Here are the details on the research program. Note the map on page 4:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/fis...20FR%20450.pdf

Note : the 289 sets is the total number of sets in the project: half will be in the closed area and the other half in open fishing grounds.

[Deep C]

Its not the two boats that I really have issue with. Its that others are thinking that its wide open season and suddenly everybody and their brother is out there. Yeah there have been a few buoy boats here all along but now all of a sudden its every where. I don't know how many permits were issued for handline gear but I'm reasonably sure there weren't this many. I'm sure if they are issuing new handline permits or not. I do know that one buoy boat was giving instructions how to set to a complete novice the other night.
A couple years ago I saw a big PLL slide into town and sneak a set or two. NMFS said impossible when I reported. To our south just a day later I found a couple of those torpedo shaped buoys and busted up gear floating in a weed line. The buoys had "noaa" written on them. NMFS said they had no knowledge so I would guess who ever set them was showing a little contempt. After I went public about them I didn't see the boat or the buoys any more...
The one LL i could see on the radar the othernight was about five or six miles north and east of me. That was well below Ft. Pierce...
Again two boats isn't the real problem. Its the opening of the gates that is comming with it. I havn't seen a fisheries man or boat down here this season.